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Itmām al-ḥujja (Arabic: اتمام الحجة) denotes the act of establishing proof and removing all excuses. This term is frequently utilized in Islamic sciences, particularly in Theology and Principles of Jurisprudence. Although the phrase "Itmam al-hujja" does not appear explicitly in the Qur'an, religious scholars have derived the concept from verses such as Qur'an 4:165 and Qur'an 17:15.

The most significant instance of Itmam al-hujja is considered to be the sending of Prophets (a) and the appointment of Imams (a); once they have conveyed God's message, humanity no longer possesses a valid excuse before God for their shortcomings. Conversely, if the message of the prophets (a) has not reached a people, God has no grounds to punish them in this world or the Hereafter.

The concept of Itmam al-hujja has been employed to substantiate various theological and jurisprudential issues, including the Legislative Exemption (Bara'a), the necessity of Ijtihad, the Non-distortion of the Qur'an, and even the initiation of warfare against enemies.

Status and Importance

Itmam al-hujja signifies the provision of reasons and evidence that foreclose the possibility of any excuse,[1] and the individual upon whom the proof is completed is compelled to accept the consequences of their decisions.[2] This concept is applied in both Theology and beliefs[3] as well as in the disciplines of Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh.[4] According to al-Mudarrisi, a Shia exegete and jurist, Itmam al-hujja—achieved through clarifying the paths of guidance for humanity—is one of the manifestations of God's mercy,[5] and He does not punish anyone without establishing this proof.[6]

While the specific expression "Itmam al-hujja" is not explicitly mentioned in the Qur'an,[7] the *Encyclopedia of the Holy Qur'an* notes that numerous verses refer to the concept.[8] Notable among them is Qur'an 4:165, which articulates the purpose of the mission of prophets: "so that mankind may not have any argument against Allah." 'Allama Tabataba'i has also derived the concept from Qur'an 5:19.[9] Furthermore, the authors of Tafsir-i nimuna have inferred the concept from Qur'an 6:30, which pertains to the Day of Judgment.[10] Some scholars suggest that in certain narrations, Itmam al-hujja is referred to as the establishment of proof (*qiyam al-hujja*) or the necessity of presenting proof.[11]

Itmam al-Hujja, Philosophy of Prophethood and Imamate

According to theologians, and as explicitly stated by 'Allama Tabataba'i, the primary duty of Prophets (a) encompasses nothing more than communication and Itmam al-hujja.[12] Another exegete, commenting on Qur'an 6:11—which discusses the human nature of prophets—asserted that the purpose of sending prophets is indeed Itmam al-hujja.[13] This point has also been elucidated based on passages from the first sermon of Nahj al-Balagha.[14] Subhani has argued that if God fails to send a prophet, or sends one who cannot explain all the rulings, or explains some but not others, or if obstacles prevent these rulings from reaching the people, the proof remains incomplete.[15] In this regard, Abd Allah Jawadi Amoli, a Shia theologian, posits the necessity of Itmam al-hujja as one of the reasons for the Non-distortion of the Qur'an.[16]

For Shias, the fundamental philosophy of the Imamate mirrors that of prophethood: Itmam al-hujja.[17] 'Ali Rabbani Golpaygani has expounded on this rationale by relying on hadiths from Imam al-Kazim (a) and Imam al-Sadiq (a), stating that since the Qur'an does not detail the specifics of the Shari'a and the Prophet Muhammad (s) has passed away, Itmam al-hujja cannot be realized without the appointment of Imams.[18] In the hadith collection al-Kafi, one of the Four Books of Shia Hadith, al-Kulayni dedicated two chapters to narrations concerning Itmam al-hujja. The first is the "Chapter on Clarification, Definition, and Necessity of Proof"[19] containing six hadiths, which translators like Kamara'i[20] and Sayyid Jawad Mustafawi (1922–1989)[21] have rendered as the "Chapter on the Statement and Definition of Itmam al-Hujja." The second is the "Chapter that the Proof is not Established for God against His Creation except through the Imam,"[22] containing four hadiths, which Muhammad Baqir Kamara'i translated as: "Chapter that Itmam al-hujja from God upon His creation is not possible except through the existence of the Imam."[23]

Concept of Hujja

Hujja (Proof/Argument) refers to evidence that can be upheld and argued against an opponent, rendering one's behavior and beliefs defensible.[24] In religious contexts, this Hujja can originate from God or from His servants;[25] that is, God utilizes it to hold His servants accountable,[26] while servants may cite Hujja to justify their excuses.[27]

Apparent and Hidden Hujja

Based on hadiths narrated from the Imams (a),[28] Shia scholars have categorized Hujja into two types: Apparent (Zahiri) and Hidden (Batini).[29] In these narrations, Intellect ('Aql) is designated as the hidden proof, whereas the Prophets (a) and Imams (a) are designated as the apparent proof.[30]

Types of Itmam al-Hujja

'Allama Majlisi, a renowned Shia Muhaddith, delineates several types of Itmam al-hujja in his book Haqq al-yaqin. He explains that for individuals residing in an Islamic environment with Muslim parents, a merely conjectural belief in religion—based on a favorable opinion of their parents and teachers—suffices for Itmam al-hujja.[31] He regards this level of proof as sufficient for the majority of people.[32] According to Majlisi, for someone who has attained knowledge or near-certainty (Zann) by referring to summary arguments, this level is also sufficient.[33] Such individuals are not excused if they apostatize.[34] However, those who do not live in an Islamic environment and harbor no hostility toward the truth are excused before God if they fail to find the path to truth; they will not be condemned to Hell, because God does not punish anyone without Itmam al-hujja.[35]

Sufficiency of Intellect for Itmam al-Hujja

Al-Shaykh al-Mufid, a Shia theologian of the 4th/10th century, asserts that Shias unanimously agree that reason, unaccompanied by revelation (Sama'/narrated proofs), does not establish any obligation.[36] In contrast, Al-Shaykh al-Tusi, a jurist and exegete of the 5th/11th century, posits that intellectual proof is sufficient for Itmam al-hujja, and that God has the right to punish individuals based on that intellectual understanding alone.[37] Shirazi (d. 2001), another Shia jurist and exegete, contends that intellectual reasoning is insufficient for Itmam al-hujja and that God must provide apparent proof to justify punishment.[38] Although Tafsir-i nimuna suggests that in some contexts intellectual arguments suffice for Itmam al-hujja, it interprets Qur'an 17:15 ("We never punish until We have sent a messenger")—which deems intellectual Itmam al-hujja insufficient—as referring to worldly punishment.[39] Murtada Mutahhari considers punishment in the Hereafter to be similarly conditional upon Itmam al-hujja via the advent of prophets.[40] Likewise, Tabataba'i, in his work Shia in Islam, argues that reason is insufficient for Itmam al-hujja and that proof remains incomplete without the coming of prophets.[41] 'Abd al-A'la Sabzawari, a Shia jurist and exegete, also maintains that even given an intellectual ruling on a matter, Itmam al-hujja is only achieved if the Lawgiver explicitly states the same ruling.[42]

Relation of Itmam al-Hujja with Ijtihad and Miracle

Abu l-Qasim al-Khoei, a prominent Shia Marja', holds that the objective of propagating rulings is to convey them to the obligated (Mukallaf) audience so that the proof is completed upon them. From this premise, he concludes that it is incumbent upon Shia jurists to expose their fatwas to the view of followers by publishing a Risala Amaliyya (manual of practice) or through other means.[43] Naraqi, a jurist of the 12th/18th century, also argues that the mere existence of an Infallible Imam who does not articulate rulings is insufficient for Itmam al-hujja; in such situations, he considers the presence of Mujtahids necessary to state the rulings so that Itmam al-hujja is realized for the people.[44]

Occasionally, Itmam al-hujja is realized through Miracles; indeed, Tabataba'i regards all miracles as serving the purpose of Itmam al-hujja.[45] Mutahhari, a Shia theologian, states that once Itmam al-hujja is achieved, prophets no longer produce miracles.[46]

Principle of Bara'a and Itmam al-Hujja

Main article: Principle of Bara'a

Shia scholars in the science of Usul al-Fiqh rely on several Qur'anic verses to establish Bara'a Shar'iyya as a primary principle.[47] The common theme among these verses is that punishment and retribution are conditional upon the sending of prophets and the complete clarification of divine rulings.[48] However, Shia Usulis have derived a broader meaning from these verses, concluding Itmam al-hujja from them.[49] This essentially confirms the intellectual rule of "the ugliness of punishment without statement" (Qubh 'iqab bila bayan/punishment without prior notification).[50] Verses Qur'an 2:26, Qur'an 9:115, Qur'an 17:15, and Qur'an 65:7 are cited in this context.[51]

Worldly Punishment and Itmam al-Hujja

From Qur'an 28:59 ("And your Lord would never destroy the towns until He sends to their mother town a messenger")[52] and Qur'an 17:15, it is inferred that eradication punishment (Istis'al) is never executed without Itmam al-hujja.[53]

Other Applications of Itmam al-Hujja

Itmam al-hujja is applied in various other contexts as well. Based on Qur'anic verses, 'Allama Tabataba'i considers the initiation of war with disbelievers to be conditional upon Itmam al-hujja having been established against them.[54] Referencing the Sermon of Shiqshiqiyya, Imam Ali (a) attributed his acceptance of the Caliphate following 'Uthman b. 'Affan to Itmam al-hujja regarding himself and the presence of the people.[55] Similarly, Imam al-Husayn (a)'s acceptance of the invitation of the Kufans during the Event of Karbala has been explained through reliance on Itmam al-hujja.[56]

According to Ja'far Subhani, a Shia theologian and exegete, one instance of Itmam al-hujja is the accounting of deeds on the Day of Judgment, ensuring that those who are punished understand the reasons for their punishment.[57] Murtada Mutahhari further posits that Divine testing sometimes serves the purpose of Itmam al-hujja for the tested individual, so they may comprehend why they are being punished or rewarded.[58]

Notes

  1. ↑ Muẓaffar, Uṣūl al-fiqh, 1375 Sh, vol. 2, p. 12.
  2. ↑ Kharrāzī, Bidāyat al-maʿārif, 1417 AH, vol. 1, p. 152.
  3. ↑ Kharrāzī, Bidāyat al-maʿārif, 1417 AH, vol. 1, p. 152.
  4. ↑ See: Subḥānī, Irshād al-ʿuqūl, 1424 AH, vol. 3, p. 338, 349; Sabzawārī, Tahdhīb al-uṣūl, 1414 AH, vol. 1, pp. 53-63.
  5. ↑ Mudarrisī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 3, p. 244.
  6. ↑ Mudarrisī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 5, p. 375.
  7. ↑ Maʿmūrī, "Itmām-i ḥujjat", p. 92.
  8. ↑ Maʿmūrī, "Itmām-i ḥujjat", p. 92.
  9. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 5, p. 243.
  10. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 5, p. 442; Muṭahharī, Majmūʿa-yi āthār, 1389 Sh, vol. 3, p. 607.
  11. ↑ See: Kamaraʾī, Translation of Uṣūl al-Kāfī, 1375 Sh, vol. 2, p. 49; Muṣṭafawī, Translation of Uṣūl al-Kāfī, n.d., vol. 1, p. 228.
  12. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 17, p. 74.
  13. ↑ Mudarrisī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 3, p. 23.
  14. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Imām, 1386 Sh, vol. 1, p. 216.
  15. ↑ Subḥānī, Irshād al-ʿuqūl, 1424 AH, vol. 3, p. 338.
  16. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Nazāhat-i Qurʾān az taḥrīf, 1382 Sh, p. 42.
  17. ↑ Collective of Authors, Imāmat-pizhūhī, 1381 Sh, pp. 146-147.
  18. ↑ Rabbānī Gulpāyigānī, Imāmat dar bīnish-i Islāmī, 1386 Sh, pp. 144-146.
  19. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 162.
  20. ↑ Kamaraʾī, Translation of Uṣūl al-Kāfī, 1375 Sh, vol. 1, p. 465.
  21. ↑ Muṣṭafawī, Translation of Uṣūl al-Kāfī, n.d., vol. 1, p. 228.
  22. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 177.
  23. ↑ Kamaraʾī, Translation of Uṣūl al-Kāfī, 1375 Sh, vol. 2, p. 49.
  24. ↑ Muẓaffar, Uṣūl al-fiqh, 1375 Sh, vol. 2, p. 12.
  25. ↑ Iṣfahānī, Buḥūth fī l-uṣūl, 1416 AH, vol. 3, p. 62.
  26. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 20, p. 147.
  27. ↑ Arākī, Uṣūl al-fiqh, 1375 Sh, vol. 2, p. 39.
  28. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 16.
  29. ↑ Muṭahharī, Majmūʿa-yi āthār, 1389 Sh, vol. 21, p. 298.
  30. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 16.
  31. ↑ Majlisī, Ḥaqq al-yaqīn, Intishārāt-i Islāmiyya, p. 563.
  32. ↑ Majlisī, Ḥaqq al-yaqīn, Intishārāt-i Islāmiyya, p. 563.
  33. ↑ Majlisī, Ḥaqq al-yaqīn, Intishārāt-i Islāmiyya, p. 563.
  34. ↑ Majlisī, Ḥaqq al-yaqīn, Intishārāt-i Islāmiyya, p. 563.
  35. ↑ Majlisī, Ḥaqq al-yaqīn, Intishārāt-i Islāmiyya, p. 564.
  36. ↑ Shaykh Mufīd, Awāʾil al-maqālāt, 1413 AH, p. 44.
  37. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, vol. 4, p. 110.
  38. ↑ Shīrāzī, Taqrīb al-Qurʾān ilā l-adhhān, 1424 AH, vol. 3, p. 296.
  39. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 12, p. 52.
  40. ↑ Muṭahharī, Majmūʿa-yi āthār, 1389 Sh, vol. 27, p. 755.
  41. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Shīʿa dar Islām, 1378 Sh, p. 140.
  42. ↑ Sabzawārī, Tahdhīb al-uṣūl, 1414 AH, vol. 1, p. 102.
  43. ↑ Khoei, Fiqh al-Shīʿa, 1411 AH, p. 253.
  44. ↑ Narāqī, Anīs al-mujtahidīn, 1388 Sh, vol. 2, p. 969.
  45. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 6, p. 226.
  46. ↑ Muṭahharī, Majmūʿa-yi āthār, 1389 Sh, vol. 16, p. 89.
  47. ↑ See: Ṣadr, Durūs fī ʿilm al-uṣūl, 1418 AH, vol. 1, pp. 3373-376.
  48. ↑ Maʿmūrī, "Itmām-i ḥujjat", p. 97.
  49. ↑ Khomeinī, Tahdhīb al-uṣūl, 1382 Sh, vol. 3, p. 72.
  50. ↑ Khomeinī, Tahdhīb al-uṣūl, 1382 Sh, vol. 2, p. 208.
  51. ↑ Maʿmūrī, "Itmām-i ḥujjat", p. 97.
  52. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 16, p. 62.
  53. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 13, p. 57.
  54. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 68.
  55. ↑ Muṭahharī, Majmūʿa-yi āthār, 1389 Sh, vol. 17, pp. 146-147.
  56. ↑ Muṭahharī, Majmūʿa-yi āthār, 1389 Sh, vol. 16, p. 643; vol. 17, p. 143.
  57. ↑ Subḥānī, Mafāhīm al-Qurʾān, 1421 AH, vol. 8, p. 241.
  58. ↑ Muṭahharī, Majmūʿa-yi āthār, 1389 Sh, vol. 27, pp. 391-392.

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